2023 MP

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2023 MP

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 1,717,998 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2023 MP is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2023 MP as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2023 MP orbits the sun every 266 days (0.73 years), coming as close as 0.43 AU and reaching as far as 1.19 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2023 MP is probably between 0.026 to 0.057 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2023 MP's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2023 MP has 32 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 16, 2023 1,717,998 12.617
Aug. 18, 2026 28,732,512 9.834
June 16, 2031 3,586,888 12.196
Aug. 22, 2034 27,198,777 9.967
June 18, 2039 11,051,099 10.976
Aug. 29, 2042 24,527,216 10.822
June 24, 2047 19,034,620 10.157
Aug. 31, 2050 23,871,657 12.695
July 5, 2055 25,992,314 9.949
Aug. 31, 2058 28,239,838 15.243
June 17, 2068 21,329,835 17.012
June 16, 2076 9,406,499 14.579
June 15, 2084 2,032,337 13.043
Aug. 14, 2087 29,919,096 9.792
June 15, 2092 3,542,120 13.400
June 17, 2100 13,709,098 15.460
June 20, 2108 26,429,857 18.088
Sept. 1, 2114 28,732,779 15.504
July 5, 2119 25,768,754 9.938
Sept. 3, 2122 23,960,360 12.993
June 25, 2127 18,498,424 10.158
Aug. 31, 2130 24,296,252 10.932
June 19, 2135 9,591,910 11.197
Aug. 24, 2138 27,256,871 9.939
June 17, 2143 2,542,800 12.485
Aug. 19, 2146 28,820,473 9.792
June 17, 2151 2,250,342 12.576
June 18, 2159 7,736,381 11.494
Sept. 2, 2170 23,221,450 11.971
Sept. 2, 2178 25,835,923 14.428
June 20, 2188 25,636,599 17.922
June 18, 2196 13,777,963 15.461

Images and Observations

2023 MP's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 18, 2023. It was last officially observed on June 29, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 124 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2023 MP:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8085 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.474
  • Inclination: 9.26°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 261.58°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 219.61°
  • Mean Anomaly: 220.03°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.033 km
  • Magnitude: 25.09

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 266 days (0.73 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 33.07 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.19 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.43 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2023 MP is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2023 MP to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.